-il CesareSole Absolute Triple
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“In the entire world there are only a few sounds that bring joy to all but the most jaded. One is the murmur of a kitten purring. Another is the thwack of a well-pitched baseball hitting a perfectly swung bat. And the third is the pop of a cork being pulled from a bottle of wine.” —George Taber

MarkDaSpark

We had this at the recent SoCal gathering. Not bad, and I think we thought it would be a good deal in the $8 to $9 range, and it's just under $8 when you factor in the Woot Shipping.

It was one we had questions on, since there wasn't a vintage date on the bottle.

So what's the aging on this one?

x20

Someone has to put WD's kids thru college, but why does it have to be me! *This post is for purposes of enabling only, and does not constitute any promise of helping pay for said enabling. It does indicate willingness to assist in drinking said wine.

klezman

So trying to give his customers something different and unique, he has combined their 2006 Estate Syrah with their Paso Robles 2011 Viognier. And viola! Magic occurred.

This explains much! It explains why there's no vintage date on the label and why it didn't have the darkness or completeness one gets from a Syrah-Viognier co-fermented blend.

In case it wasn't clear, I had this at the Hallowoot tasting as well. My notes read thusly: some heat on the palate but not on the nose. Finish tends toward the smokey. At the time we thought it was not co-fermented. The overall impression was that it was relatively soft, not a special bottle, but nice to just drink. I can't stomach the idea of a whole case of anything at the moment, so I'm out, but at $8/bottle you could either get this and know you're getting reasonably good quality vino or some grocery store swill.

seanbell24

Support the Troops and buy this wine. As stated on the McClean Vineyards website:

"Besides being an excellent winemaker, Michael is one of Vietnam's most decorated war heroes. A California Vietnam veteran, Michael has a profound appreciation for the returning veteran's challenges from today's conflicts in the Middle East. Not only was Michael a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross he also received a Silver Star and Purple Heart. To help these returning veterans he has decided to donate 10% of all proceeds from wine purchases to help the rehabilitation of our returning soldiers through the Armed Forces Foundation. Therefore, when you purchase McClean Vineyards' wines, not only will you be doing your customers a great favor but also you are helping our returning heroes."

bhodilee

slm9951 wrote:I am exceedingly disappointed there is no shipping to VA for this, as well as the plus deals.

Your state sucks, that's the problem. You can do something about that today.

This is one massively massive discount. Either there is an Indiana Jones style warehouse full of this stuff or they went out of business.

I think the obvious question that people are missing though, is how would this pair with Thanksgiving Dinner. With 15% Viognier I'm thinking it might pair pretty frickin well with Turkey and stuffing and the price point is perfect for those with large groups to feed/drink.

So A) Is it a Good Turkey Day wine
B) WD, this will arrive prior to
Turkey day right?

"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."

WilfBrim

I need some opinions here. I will be getting married in February, and one of my (few) responsibilities is to pick and supply the wine. I've been poking around here and there, and nothing much has caught my eye yet. I'm thinking that this may suit for the red. The guests will be mixed, but generally some inexperieced palates. Thoughts?

margaretcsr

Hm, well after reading all the comments I'm a little lost myself. Help a rookie out please I like cabernet in the winter and usually drink a glass a night to ease away the pains of the day - and the kids homework. Will this do the trick? I'm not a fancy drinker and I'm having to be frugal these days, so if nothing else, the price is awesome! Will I enjoy the last swallow or will it make me shiver a bad shiver as it goes down??? Should I wait for another sale? Decisions, decisions....

slm9951

bhodilee wrote:Your state sucks, that's the problem. You can do something about that today.

This is one massively massive discount. Either there is an Indiana Jones style warehouse full of this stuff or they went out of business.

I think the obvious question that people are missing though, is how would this pair with Thanksgiving Dinner. With 15% Viognier I'm thinking it might pair pretty frickin well with Turkey and stuffing and the price point is perfect for those with large groups to feed
So A) Is it a Good Turkey Day wine
B) WD, this will arrive prior to
Turkey day right?

Thanks for the info. I had no idea and was wondering why VA hasn't been in any of the recent offerings!

rjquillin

Tried this one as we tasted thru various offerings at SoCal #22 that Sparky and TimB hosted in Irving. Since I couldn't pry the PS out of Sparky's hand, I took this one home to see how it evolved, and if I could figure out what it was.

Reading the notes in this thread I almost wonder if we all tasted the same wine, or if there is huge bottle to bottle variations.

Light ruby, not a dark one here, but nice and clear. The Viognier definitely present in the nose, along with typical Syrah notes with just the slightest touch of methanol despite the ABV.

Quite pleasant actually, not at all a heavy Syrah, but more in a Pinot style. Light fruit notes nicely balanced with with a bit of wood and a medium finish. To me not at all heavy as others have commented. Not sure I've ever had a Syrah-Viognier blend before, so I never did really ever figure this one out.

Not much evolution over a couple of days, but capped with Ar it held up well. A nice unpretentious bottle that drinks well above it's price point as a cocktail or with lighter foods and should pair well for T-day. I'll be pulling other corks as well, but hope to have this delivered in time to include.
[edit] removed "low" ABV comment, had transposed my notes to read 13.5, not 15.3. So At 15.3ABV, about what I'd expect on the nose.

North316

jpitt57488 wrote:Just to clarify- a Viognier is a white wine, correct? Is it normal to blend a red with a white? Should it be stored 15% cooler than a traditional red?

Viognier is a white wine. Is it normal to blend with a red? No, but it is done on occasion. From what Peter Welling has explained in the past, blending a white with a red is usually done to establish some additional mouthfeel and nuances in flavor profiles on the mid-palate, or enhance the color of a red wine (brighten it up a bit). In those instances it is usually done with a much smaller blend (5% or less).

At 15%, this would be a much less common blend, but not necessarily a bad thing. In this instance it is simply being used to make a lighter wine, instead of a heavy, lush syrah. I have not had this, and the based on the blend and the stats, the notes presented don't surprise me at all. While this is probably decent for the price, I the winery is likely disappointed in the overall results of this wine, and that is why this is being discounted so heavily.

rnatalie

bhodilee wrote:Your state sucks, that's the problem. You can do something about that today.

Actually you can't. The Virginia legislature/governor races are in the off years. Only things on the ballot here are President, one Senator and House of Representatives seat as well as a few ballot questions (two statewide constitutional amendments).

rnatalie

As alluded to early, Viogner is sometimes cofermented with Syrah to maintain color. It doesn't take much (like 3% Viogner). The only reason to mix it in otherwise is because people saw the french did it but didn't bother to pay attention to how or why.

The Aussies who love mixing up the blends also do some Shiraz-Viognier stuff. Can't say it really improves it.

confusedemmy

Some of the finest French Rhone wines, namely the Côte-Rôtie, are made with this blend. Also some fine Australian wines, such as D'Arenberg's Laughing Magpie. I think the blend is usually under 10% Viognier, though.

The Viognier is added for aromatics, mouthfeel and to add finesse to the Syrah.

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